Michael Pitt will clash with Scarlett Johansson in the live-action (and decidedly Americanized) Ghost in the Shell movie. The film has been off and on in the works for several years at Dreamworks, and has recently been picking up steam.

Rupert Sanders is directing the film, and it's scheduled to release March 31, 2017.

Pitt will play The Laughing Man, THR reports, a character not from the original Ghost in the Shell anime film or manga, but from the later TV series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. He's a high-end hacker, and keeps his face (and acts) hidden behind the logo seen above.

Scarlett Johansson is playing the lead role, though it's unclear if they'll be renaming her character, who in the manga and anime films and series is named Motoko Kusanagi, a Japanese operative.

NBC is moving forward with its Taken prequel series. Now, it has officially cast its young Bryan Mills.

Clive Standen of Vikings will take on the role originally portrayed by Liam Neeson in the film trilogy which also starred LOST alum Maggie Grace and X-Men star Famke Janssen.

The drama is described as a modern-day prequel to the franchise's films. Rather than a capable retired CIA veteran, we'll see Bryan Mills in his early days of his career learning how to gain those skills. Perhaps, down the line, we'll even see how he met Lenore.

Standen's Bryan Mills will begin his adventures as a black ops agent in the elite Emergency Covert Action Team. Homeland's Alexander Cary will write the series and executive produce with Taken writer/producer Luc Besson.

Standen's credits, in addition to 30 episodes as Rollo on Vikings, include the Starz series Camelot and last year's acclaimed film, Everest.

Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry and Trevor Roth have been named executive producers of the upcoming Star Trek series, joining Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin and Bryan Fuller. Roddenberry is the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and the president of Roddenberry Entertainment. Roth is the COO of Roddenberry Entertainment.

“Gene Roddenberry, the Great Bird of the Galaxy, left a finely feathered nest for all who love Star Trek to enjoy,” Bryan Fuller said in a statement. “And it is only fitting that Rod Roddenberry and Roddenberry Entertainment join our new Trek adventure to ensure that his father’s legacy of hope for the future and infinite diversity in infinite combinations runs through our tales as Gene Roddenberry intended.”

Star Trek Rod Roddenberry“Moral dilemmas, human issues, complex characters, and a genuine sense of optimism: These are the cornerstones of Star Trek and are what have made it such an influential and beloved franchise for the last 50 years,” Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry said. “While I will always be humbled by its legacy and the legions of fans who are its guardians, it’s a genuine honor to be joining a team of imaginative and incredibly capable individuals whose endeavor it is to uphold the tenants of Star Trek’s legacy while bringing it to audiences in a new era and on a contemporary platform.”

The new series will launch in the United States with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network in early 2017. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access. The series will also be available on television stations and platforms in other countries around the world.- See more at: http://www.startrek.com/article/roddenberry-added-to-new-tv-series-team#sthash.hQTLa26K.dpuf

Hollywood has gone MacGyver mad in the last couple of years, with the film version in development via James Wan evolving into a TV pilot focusing on the younger years of the character famously brought to life in the 1980s by Richard Dean Anderson. Now Lucas Till has landed the role of Angus MacGyver.

The TV series turns back to the clock to find MacGyver in the earliest days of his career, after he's recruited to help a clandestine government organisation stop international crime and disasters. He has a talent for coming up with unorthodox solutions and making use of whatever happens to be around at the time, from paper clips and chewing gum. And he never goes anywhere without his trusty pen knife.

Also new to the cast? Joshua Boone, who will play Gunner, MacGyver's best friend from high school. They join George Eads, playing Lincoln, a conspiracy theorist with more than the usual amount of knowledge.

The pilot has a script from Paul Downs Colaizzo and Brett Mahoney, and will be directed by David Von Ancken. Wan, who had planned to shoot the pilot but is now too busy finishing The Conjuring 2, remains aboard as a producer alongside MacGyver creator Lee David Zlotoff.

Till, who at least has the hair to be able to pull off the classic MacGyver mullet (doubt they'll go quite that far), will next be seen in X-Men: Apocalypse, due here on May 19.

The cause of death has not been released, but a spokesperson for the LAPD said Shandling had a “medical emergency” on Thursday and died at an L.A. hospital.

The influential comedian was not known to be suffering from any illnesses, and just a few days ago retweeted Kathy Griffin’s photo of himself, her and Bob Odenkirk.

Shandling was known for his neurotic observational humor, particularly about romantic relationships, and his no-holds-barred skewering of showbiz in his inventive TV shows. “The Larry Sanders Show” was one of the early pillars of HBO’s original series strategy, garnering Emmy Awards and critical acclaim during its 1992-1998 run.

Born in Chicago, he was raised in Tucson, Ariz., and started out majoring in electrical engineering before completing a marketing degree at the University of Arizona. After moving to Los Angeles, he sold a script for “Sanford and Son” and also wrote for “Welcome Back, Kotter.” He guest-hosted on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and was in consideration to become Carson’s replacement.

In 1986, he created his own sitcom “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” also an early original series effort for Showtime. The show, also co-created by Alan Zweibel, was nominated for four Emmys, and ran until 1990. The show was noted for being one that often broke the fourth wall, with Shandling speaking directly to the audience, and he played a version of himself: a stand-up comedian aware of the fact that he is a sitcom character. Even the theme song was self-referential from the opening line: “This is the theme to Garry’s show…”

The seeds of “Larry Sanders Show” were planted on Showtime in 1986 when Shandling hosted “The Garry Shandling Show 25th Anniversary Special,” a parody of a Johnny Carson-esque anniversary special. He starred and co-created “Larry Sanders Show,” set in the office of a fictional late-night talk show, with Dennis Klein. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmys for the show and, along with Peter Tolan, won an Emmy for the series finale.

“The Larry Sanders Show” was said to have a lasting impact on TV comedy, influencing such series as “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” It cracked several “best of” lists, including Time’s 100 Best TV Shows of All Time. Judd Apatow was among the staff writers on the show who went on to become a major player in the industry.

NBC offered him $5 million to take over “Late Night” when David Letterman moved to CBS in 1993, but he declined. He was also offered “The Late Late Show” but declined to do the “Larry Sanders Show.”

He was also a formidable host, hosting the Grammys in 1990, 1993 and 1994, and the Emmys in 2000 and 2004.

He appeared in and did voices for films including “Iron Man 2,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Dr. Dolittle,” “Zoolander” and “Over the Hedge.”

Adult Swim swim has announced a partnership with animation studio Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell) to produce Seasons 2 and 3 of FLCL, the cult favorite anime released in 2000. The original 6-episode series followed Naota, a 12-year-old boy who met a woman that changed his life forever. Seasons 2 and 3 will each be new six-episode seasons continuing the original series’ story.

“The original FLCL is an anime classic and has been a fixture on Adult Swim since we first laid eyes on it,” said Jason DeMarco, senior vice president/creative director, Adult Swim On-Air in a press release. “I’m beyond thrilled to be able to produce a sequel with the original creators, for Toonami, where it belongs.”

FLCL series creator Kazuya Tsurumaki will return for the new season, serving as supervisor with director Katsuyuki Motohiro (Psycho-Pass) and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion). Also joining this season is writer Hideto Iwai (Last Dinner).

“FLCL has become an anime classic over the years, yet it has remained vibrant,” said Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, co-founder, president and CEO of Production I.G. “This new season will capture the hearts of both longtime FLCL fans from around the world and new anime viewers.”

Unfortunately, there was no mention of the Japanese rock group The Pillows returning for the new season. The Pillows’ soundtrack was as defining a feature of the original FLCL as the animation itself.

Here’s the season 2 synopsis:

 In the new season of FLCL, many years have passed since Naota and Haruhara Haruko shared their adventure together. Meanwhile, the war between the two entities known as Medical Mechanica and Fraternity rages across the galaxy. Enter Hidomi, a young teenaged girl who believes there is nothing amazing to expect from her average life, until one day when a new teacher named Haruko arrives at her school. Soon enough, Medical Mechanica is attacking her town and Hidomi discovers a secret within her that could save everyone, a secret that only Haruko can unlock.

But why did Haruko return to Earth? What happened to her Rickenbacker 4001 she left with Naota? And where did the human-type robot ‘Canti’ go?

All of these questions and more will be answered in the new season of the series, which is set to premiere in late 2017/early 2018 on Adult Swim.

Valérian and Laureline is certain to stand out among its many fellow comic books to earn big screen adaptation these days. The French series, which began its run in 1967, followed the missions of a fairly classic adventuring duo—the titular spaciotemporal agents—across planets, galaxies, and dimensions. Although you might liken the vast, imaginative exploits of Valérian and Laureline to American fiction’s many intergalactic adventurers, there was always something a little bit stranger and more cerebral—you know, Frencher—about their outings. This gives director Luc Besson plenty of room to go wild in the upcoming film adaptation, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

We catch sight of the expansive imagination inherent to the Valerian story in these first photos from the movie, which debuted over at Entertainment Weekly. Front and center are stars Dane DeHaan—upgraded to “hero” status after playing the heavy in his last comic book film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2—as Valérian, and Cara Delevingne as Laureline. Delevingne will likewise showcase her penchant for villainy in Suicide Squad, in which she plays the DC Comics sorceress Enchantress.

Though otherwise prone to cinematic criminal activity, DeHaan and Delevingne are going pure spacetime heroes in Besson’s picture, and ones charged with protecting the expanses of the unexplored universe to boot.

As much as these images do show us, they really only serve to raise questions. Slight glimpses at pieces of otherworldly technology and backdrops have us wondering where Besson will go with his newest story. The biggest question of the lot, though, has got to be: Who’s behind that big, black, metallic mask? We know that the character in question is an officer named K-Tron, but since most of the supporting players on board are thus far assigned to unknown roles, we haven’t a clue of who’ll be laying down the law in his shoes. Could it be John Goodman? Ethan Hawke? Rihanna? Not jokes—actual possibilities, people.

If you’re intrigued by the photos but need to bone up on your Valérian and Laureline, check back to EW to read their extensive interview with Besson about the project. The film hits theaters July 2017.

BBC America has announced that the new BBC Three series Class, a Doctor Who spinoff series aimed at young adults, will be making its way stateside in 2016. The series, which boasts the prolific Stephen Moffat as an executive producer, takes place at the Coal Hill Secondary School, which most recently served as the former workplace of companion Clara Oswald. Series writer Patrick Ness, who has written a several bestselling books and several screenplays, expressed his excitement for the series.

We were already excited for HBO‘s upcoming new comedy Vice Principals, in which Danny McBride and Walton Goggins play two competing, totally inappropriate high school administrators vying to be the new head of their school at any cost, before the latest promo.

Then this new commercial revealed that Bill Murray himself is playing the outgoing principal, and only now do we know what true excitement is. In this short ad, that we first saw at the AV Club, Murray’s outgoing principal tells the two potential replacements that he “could give a damn whoever it is” that will take his spot.

“It’s all about the students; it’s not about you two.”

If you’ve seen any of the trailers for the show, you know McBride’s Neal Gamby and Goggin’s Lee Russell do not look like they are going to take that advice to heart. Heck, Vice Principal Gamby couldn’t get through this conversation without taking a dig at Russell. “It’s very wise. I get it. I mean it might take a little while for it to sink in with this one here.” Murray’s part on the show might be limited to this one episode (his role is not even listed on IMDB as of yet), but no matter, we’ll take whatever Bill Murray we can get. It’ll also be fun to see him be the responsible one for once.

The show premieres this summer on July 17th, and has an 18-episode run first season.

He's probably still best known to film fans for his role as Fezzik in 1987 fantasy comedy classic The Princess Bride, but Andre the Giant Roussimoff lived a fascinating tough life outside of that film part. Now a team including his daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, is putting together a biopic of the man.

Producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell have hatched a deal with Christensen-Roussimoff and Lion Forge Comics to base the film on authorised graphic novel biography Andre The Giant: Closer To Heaven, which hit shelves last year, written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri. It chronicled his life from working on the family farm in France to his rise as part of the World Wrestling Federation, which itself was helped by his burgeoning celebrity. But his size and stature came with a price. "Andre the Giant rode the wave of the rise of wrestling in America, while suffering from the painful health condition of gigantism – there’s an Elephant Man story here,” Steindorff tells Variety.

“I’m really excited to watch this story come to life on the big screen,” Robin Christensen-Roussimoff adds. “It’s been a labour of love for everyone involved, and we’re really looking forward to making it available to a larger audience.” Roussimoff died in 1993.

The next step will be to find a writing and directing team and, crucially, someone who can portray Roussimoff.

Howland played naive diner waitress Vera Louise Gorman on Alice for the nine-year run of the comedy that ended in 1985.Beth Howland, the actress who was best known for her role as a ditzy waitress on the 1970s and '80s CBS sitcom Alice, has died. She was 74.

Her husband, actor Charles Kimbrough (Murphy Brown), told The Associated Press that Howland died of lung cancer in Santa Monica on Dec. 31. He said there was no funeral or memorial service and "that was her choice."

Howland played naive diner waitress Vera Louise Gorman on Alice for the nine-year run of the comedy that ended in 1985, earning four Golden Globe nominations. Her credits also include parts on the The Mary Tyler Moore Show andThe Love Boat.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his own car as it rolled backward down his driveway early Sunday, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Studio City, according to Los Angeles police Officer Jenny Hosier. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn't show up, the group came to his home and found him dead.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as "ER," ''The Practice," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001's "Hearts in Atlantis."

He transitioned into teenage roles in films such as the crime thriller "Alpha Dog" and the teen comedy "Charlie Bartlett." He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009's "Terminator Salvation."

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn't very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

"I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing," Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama "Like Crazy." He starred opposite Felicity Jones.

"(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did," Yelchin said. "But this is what I wanted."

His biggest role to date has been in the rebooted "Star Trek" films as the heavily accented navigator Chekov, for which he was able to draw on his Russian roots. The third film in the series, "Star Trek Beyond," comes out in July.

"What's great about him is he can do anything. He's a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate ones," ''Like Crazy" director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. "There are a lot of people who can't, who can only do one or the other. ... That's what blows my mind."

Yelchin transitioned between the big sci-fi franchise and voicing a part for "The Smurfs." He also appeared in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch's vampire film "Only Lovers Left Alive" and Jeremy Saulnier's horror thriller "Green Room," a cult favorite that came out earlier this year.

The actor's publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy.

David Huddleston, a noted character actor who was most famously known for the titular role in “The Big Lebowski” died Tuesday at 85. His wife, Sarah Koeppe, told the Los Angeles Times that he died of kidney and lung disease in Santa Fe, N.M.

Huddleston’s character in the 1998 “The Big Lebowski” epitomized the types of characters he was known for — big dons or capos and tempestuous men. Although he is in only a few scenes in the film, he crosses paths with Jeff Bridges’ Lebowski character, aka “The Dude,” after a group of gang members attack “The Dude” mistaking him for Huddleston’s millionaire Lebowski. Though the film was not a hit when it first premiered, it has since become a huge cult sensation with a devoted fan base.

Before he was cast as the Big Lebowski, he guest starred on several TV shows, including “Walker Texas Ranger,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Gilmore Girls” and “The West Wing” and had a recurring role as the grandfather on “The Wonder Years.” His film credits include the title role in 1985’s “Santa Claus: The Movie,” “Capricorn One,” “Blazing Saddles” and “The Producers.”

His wife told the L.A. Times that he considered his “crowning achievement” to be the role of Benajmin Franklin in the 1997 Broadway production of “1776.”

Born in Vinton, Va., he served in the Air Force and then studied acting in New York on the G.I. Bill.

The small-scale thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane was a sideways sequel to the monster flick Cloverfield, and now we know what J.J. Abrams is cooking up for the third film in the trilogy.The Wrap confirms God Particle will be the third Cloverfield film, following a team of astronauts who make a “shocking discovery” that “challenges all they know about the fabric of reality, even as they desperately fight for their survival.” The project will probably have a budget of under $10 million, and with Abrams and the Cloverfield brand attached, it’ll certainly make a profit (a strategy that worked out well for the low-budget 10 Cloverfield Lane).The script for God Particle was written by Oren Uziel, and it’s being directed by Julis Onah (The Girl Is in Trouble). The film stars Daniel Brühl, David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki and Chris O’Dowd. J.J. Abrams is producing.Looking at the franchise as a while, Abrams and Paramount are developing even more Cloverfield-related projects for release in the coming years. Ideally, the goal is to drop a new Cloverfield flick each year.God Particle is set to open Feb. 24, 2017.

Tyrus Wong, whose paintings served as visual inspiration for Disney’s animated classic “Bambi,” died Friday, Dec. 30. He was 106.Wong’s death was announced on his Facebook page.

“With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Tyrus Wong,” the post read. “Tyrus died peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving daughters Kim, Kay and Tai-Ling. He was 106 years old.”

Wong was born in China before immigrating to the Bay Area at age 9. From there he went to art school on a scholarship followed by accepting a low-level animation job in 1938. After hearing about Walt Disney’s “Bambi” project he put together some paintings of deer in a forest, which impressed Disney enough to use them as inspiration for the film. The animated classic isn’t all Wong is known for though, he’s also worked on film’s like “Rebel Without a Cause, “The Green Berets,” and “The Wild Bunch.”

In 2001, Wong was named a Disney Legend, and in 2013 he had his artwork featured in the Walt Disney Family Museum. In October of this year Wong received two honors at the Asian World Film Festival. He was awarded with a lifetime achievement award on the opening day with the following day (his 106th birthday) being the screening of the documentary about him titled “Tyrus” directed by Pam Tom.